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Tahinov hats
Tahinov hats: flaky Armenian bread swirled with sweet tahini
ArmenianTahinov hats is the Lenten treat of Armenian bakeries from Yerevan to Aleppo and Beirut: a soft dough rolled thin, spread with sweetened tahini, rolled up, coiled like a snail and flattened again, so it bakes into flaky, nutty layers. It is eaten with tea through the forty days before Easter, when butter is put away. A common mistake is spreading the tahini right to the edges, which makes it ooze and burn. Chef's tip: twist the filled rope before coiling it; the twist makes the layers show through when the bread is flattened.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
For the filling
- 7 oz tahiniwell stirred
- 4 oz sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the top
- 1 tbsp watermixed with 1 tsp sugar, for brushing
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt. Add 1 ¼ cups warm water and 3 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 8 minutes until smooth. Cover and rise for 1 hour.
8 minStep 2: Mix 7 oz tahini, 4 oz sugar and ½ tsp ground cinnamon into a thick paste.
Step 3: Divide the dough into 8. Roll one piece into a 25 × 35 cm rectangle, spread with an eighth of the filling, leaving a 1 cm border. Common mistake: spreading to the edges; it leaks.
Step 4: Roll up from the long side into a rope, twist it a few times and coil it into a snail. Tuck the end under and rest for 10 minutes. Repeat.
10 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Roll each coil gently into an 18 cm round and lay on lined trays.
Step 6: Brush with 1 tbsp water and bake for 15–18 minutes, until golden. Cool on a rack.
18 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tahinov hats take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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